Overview
Reef Check was developed in
1996 as a volunteer, community-based
monitoring protocol designed
to measure the health of coral
reefs on a global scale. Now
in its sixth year of operation,
Reef Check is active in over
60 countries and territories
throughout the tropical world.
During this time, Reef Check
has evolved into an international
environmental organization
with the following goals:

To educate the public about
the coral reef crisis;

To create a global network
of volunteer teams which
regularly monitor and report
on reef health;

To scientifically investigate
coral reef processes;

To facilitate collaboration
among academia, NGOs, governments
and the private sector;

To stimulate local community
action to protect remaining
pristine reefs and rehabilitate
damaged reefs worldwide
using ecologically sound
and economically sustainable
solutions.

Reef
Check scientists train teams
of volunteers about the value
of coral reefs, their ecology
and how to scientifically
monitor them. During surveys,
the work is supervised and
checked by a scientist. Teams
are composed of a diverse
range of volunteers ranging
from all scientists to recreational
divers to village fishermen.
Through this process, Reef
Check has raised public awareness
about the global coral reef
crisis and potential solutions.
The teams have collected a
wealth of valuable data from
reefs around the world. These
have been analyzed and the
results are presented in this
five-year report, providing
a synoptic assessment of global
coral reef health using a
standard method.

Reef
Check teams collect four types
of data: 1) a description
of each reef site based on
over 30 measures of environmental
conditions and expert rating
of human impacts, 2) fish
counts along an 800 m 2 section
of shallow reef, 3) shellfish
counts over the same area,
and 4) a measure of the percentage
of the seabed covered by different
substrate types including
live and dead coral. Sixteen
global and eight regional
indictor organisms were selected
to serve as specific measures
of human impacts on coral
reefs. They were chosen based
on their economic and ecological
value as well as their sensitivity
to human impacts. For example,
the humphead wrasse (Cheilinus
undulatus) is the most sought
after fish in the live fish
trade, whereas the banded
coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)
is collected for the aquarium
trade. In areas where these
organisms are targeted, their
populations are expected to
decrease.

Monitoring
was carried out from 1997
through 2001 at over 1500
reefs in the Atlantic, Indo-pacific
and Red Sea. Following quality
assurance procedures, 1107
sites were accepted for analysis.
The analyses examined spatial
and temporal changes in indicator
abundance and correlations
between abundance and ratings
of human impact provided by
the teams. The key findings
were:

•
At the global scale, zero
spiny lobster were recorded
at 83% of shallow reefs indicating
severe overfishing; there
was a significant decline
in lobster abundance in the
Atlantic;

•
The mean abundance of Diadema
sea urchins decreased significantly
in the Indo-Pacific from 1998
to 2000, approaching levels
similar to those found in
the Atlantic and possibly
indicating ecological destabilization;

•
A total of 101 triton were
recorded indicating severe
overfishing for the curio
market;

•
Globally, there was a significant
decrease in the abundance
of butterfly fish from 1997
to 2001;

•
There were zero grouper larger
than 30 cm recorded at 48%
of reefs surveyed indicating
overfishing of these predators;

•
Four species of fish are in
critical condition: Nassau
grouper were absent from 82%
of shallow Caribbean reefs
– only eight reefs had
more than one fish. Barramundi
cod, bumphead parrotfish and
humphead wrasse were missing
from 95%, 89% and 88% of Indo-pacific
reefs respectively;

•
Moray eels were not recorded
on 81% of reefs, and in the
Indo-pacific, 55% of all reefs
surveyed were devoid of parrotfish
greater than 20 cm;

•
Globally, the mean hard coral
cover was 32%. The percent
hard coral cover was significantly
higher on reefs having no
anthropogenic impacts than
on reefs with high levels
of such impacts. Only 34 reefs
had greater than 70% hard
coral cover and none had higher
than 85% cover;

•
The 1997-98 bleaching event
reduced live coral cover by
10% globally, indicating that
coral reefs are a sensitive
indicator of global warming;

•
Algal cover was higher on
reefs rated as having high
sewage inputs;

•
Natural differences between
reefs in the two oceans are
the relatively high abundance
of fish of the families Haemulidae
and Scaridae on Atlantic reefs
and fish of the familiesChaeodontidae
and Lutjanidae on Indo-pacific
reefs;

•
Marine protected areas (MPAs)
in developing countries are
showing some success. Five
of ten fish and one of ten
invertebrate indicators were
significantly more abundant
inside than outside MPAs.

Achievements
in Education and Management
A review of the first five
years of Reef Check indicates
that the basic program of
education and monitoring works
well. Reef Check is a major
partner with the International
Coral Reef Initiative and
the Global Coral Reef Monitoring
Network (GCRMN). Dozens of
Reef Check/GCRMN training
workshops have been carried
out at national and regional
levels throughout the world.
These workshops provide training
in Reef Check and more taxonomically
detailed protocols as well
as supplying information on
sustainable financing and
media relations. In 2001,
a Southeast Asia Regional
Training Center was established
in Phuket, Thailand which
offers quarterly workshops.
Ideally, new training centers
can be set up in the Caribbean
and East Africa. Reef Check
supplies raw data to ReefBase
and metadata to GCRMN for
status reports.

Prior
to 1997, coral reefs were
rarely featured in the international
press. Beginning that year,
Reef Check has been successful
in attracting mainstream media
attention to the plight of
coral reefs. The public awareness
campaign continues to build
with the help of new private
sector partners including
Quiksilver and MacGillivray
Freeman Films whose film and
advertising capabilities offer
mechanisms for delivering
the message to the general
public.

Reef
Check also aims to design,
test, and implement solutions
to the problems facing coral
reefs. As people learn more
about coral reefs, they develop
a sense of stewardship, and
a desire to become involved
in managing their local reefs.

Participation
in Reef Check has already
led to the initiation of new
coral reef management activities
such as establishment of measurably
successful marine parks.

The
Next Steps
During the first five years
of Reef Check, over 5,000
people took part in monitoring
1,500 reefs in more than half
of all coral reef countries.
The Reef Check network brought
together hundreds of diverse
groups from all sectors to
work together towards a common
goal. In the future, Reef
Check will devote more effort
to facilitating ecologically
sound and economically sustainable
coral reef management.